MacLean, Jill: - Jill MacLean has a BSc with honours from Dalhousie University, and a master's in theological studies from the Atlantic School of Theology. Her years of writing genre fiction taught her the basics of storytelling. An excellent, and demanding, full-year poetry course at St. Mary's University in Halifax and a three-year mentorship with a professor of English and much-published poet in Winnipeg honed her love of language and her respect for the power of words.Her poetry collection, The Brevity of Red, was shortlisted for two awards. Her eight-year-old grandson then asked her to write him a book, which, three years and three rejections later, was published as The Nine Lives of Travis Keating. Two more middle-grade and two young adult novels followed. Altogether these books won four awards and received many nominations, four international, including the prestigious White Ravens Honour List in Munich for Nix Minus One. Two of the novels are in the Nova Scotia school system.Wanting a change and the challenge of an adult audience, Jill delved into her long-time fascination with the medieval period. In 2023 The Arrows of Mercy was a finalist for the Whistler Independent Book Award sponsored by The Writers' Union of Canada.Jill loves canoeing, gardening, listening to classical music, and, of course, reading. She lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia, near her family. You can read more about Jill and her publications on her website: jillmaclean.mywriting.network.